The Vikings Have Cut Adam Thielen
K. Joudry
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Well, this one has been in the works for a little while. According to Tom Pelissero, the Vikings have decided to move on from Adam Thielen.
Take a look:
The team has confirmed the news.
The decision is the result of needing to carve out more cap space and the veteran’s declining statistical production. He hasn’t cleared 1,000 receiving yards in 4-straight seasons, making it difficult to justify having him account for nearly $20 million on the budget in 2023.
A pre-June 1 cut saves a touch more than $6.4 million.
Earlier in the week, Josh Frey offered a bit of speculation about who the next cut could be and he concluded that it’d likely be Mr. Thielen: “The 32-year-old receiver (will be 33 by the time the 2023 season begins) caught 70 passes for 716 yards and 6 TDs. These are all career-lows among seasons where he started at least 14 games. The touchdown total is an especially big drop off after recording 24 combined TDs in 2020 and 2021 and being one of the most consistent red zone receivers in the NFL.”
More concerning, to my mind at least, is that Thielen’s yards-per-catch average was down at 10.2 yards, the lowest of his career.
Following the season, Caitlin Thielen foreshadowed the upcoming departure. Not too long after, Thielen made media appearances, speaking candidly about his contract and the challenges that were ahead. As a result, the firm news doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
He ends his time in Minnesota with 534 catches, 6682 yards, and 55 TDs. Perhaps his most iconic moment for the Purple & Gold came when he made a sensational catch against the Saints in overtime of the playoff game following the 2019 season. A few players later, Kyle Rudolph sealed the deal with the TD grab.
K.J. Osborn is the current frontrunner to be the team’s WR2 in 2023.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.